"I had problems in a couple of the fights that I didn't really talk about," he said. "In one of the fights, I got hit, and the whole left side of my body went numb, all the way down to the toes."

Even with the doctors' warnings, Wilks called the decision difficult, particularly because he went out on a loss. He went 1-2 in the UFC after beating DaMarques Johnson in the TUF finale. As more fighters age, they will be faced with the issue of retirement. Kudos to Wilks for being strong enough to walk away before he was damaged permanently.